Mr. Chairman.

Since the adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child almost 30 years ago, global protection of children’s rights has improved continuously with major gains achieved in children’s survival rights, rights to health and education in particular. However, poverty, hunger, diseases, disasters, child labor, drugs, sexual abuse, wars and conflicts still threaten children’s life and health in many parts of the world. Protection of children’s rights face many challenges globally.

Mr. Chairman,

We the Children: End-decade review of the follow-up to the World Summit for Children began with the statement “We were all children once. The desire for our children’s well-being has always been the most cherished aspirations of mankind.” The international community should uphold the principle of peaceful settlement to international disputes and create a peaceful and stable international and regional environment so as to protect children from wars and turmoil. The Chinese government calls on countries to strengthen international cooperation, implement 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, eliminate child poverty by promoting economic development of developing countries, continue improving healthcare services for children and ensure every child’s right to education.

New technologies such as the internet present both new opportunities and new challenges to the protection of children’s rights. On the one hand, advances in information technologies enable wider dissemination of helpful information. As a result, vulnerable groups of children, such as girls and children with disabilities can acquire knowledge and understand the world on the internet. On the other hand, internet addiction and harmful on-line information hurt children both physically and mentally. Crimes such as abusing children’s rights through proliferation of child pornography are on the rise. Internet is not a lawless domain. Sovereign states have both the right and the responsibility to take measures to enhance internet monitoring and to effectively prevent and combat the abuse of internet technologies to violate children’s rights.

Mr. Chairman,

China has 350 million children, one fifth of the world’s total. The Chinese government has long been committed to the promotion and protection of children’s rights. China is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two optional protocols, the Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption. The Chinese government has attached great importance to the strengthening of internet monitoring and has taken comprehensive legislative and enforcement measures to fight cyber-crimes so as to effectively protect children from harmful on-line content.

Promotion and protection of children’s rights have a long way to go and represent an arduous task. China will continue to fulfill our international responsibility, actively participate in international cooperation and work towards better protection and promotion of children’s rights globally.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.